The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to methods for clearing of fecal matter the wall of a colon or other body lumen for diagnostic inspection, and, more particularly but not exclusively, to methods for such clearing of fecal matter in patients who have undergone no or restricted preparation to reduce and/or remediate the particle structure of colon contents before diagnostic inspection.
Human diet varies according to nationality, age, gender, income, ideology, and more. Digestive flora, which can both help and hinder digestion, also vary between individuals. As much as the mechanical and chemical processing of the gastrointestinal tract to extract nutrients from food tends to homogenize it, some differentiation remains. Some foods are fully degraded by their passage through the digestive tract; others retain some structure, however altered by passage through the gut.
While partially homogenizing food's original structure, gastrointestinal processing also adds new structure; for example, by aggregating digested particles, and by controlling stool water content. As captured by the Bristol Stool Scale, for example, stool is classified of a scale from 7 (completely liquid) to 1 (small hard lumps). Variables affecting the state of fecal aggregation and fluid content, as well as completeness of food digestion, include the frequency of defecation (normally ranging from five times a day to twice a week), and the speed at which food passes through the gastrointestinal tract (10 hours to 4 days is normal). Gut flora and secretions of the digestive tract also become part of the stool.
A colonoscope provides means for optically and/or electronically imaging the colon and its contents, for example, to look for cancerous and/or pre-cancerous polyps. For effective viewing, a common practice before colonoscopy is to clear as much of a colon's contents as possible, sometimes by aggressive changes to diet and/or by administration of purgatives. In some methods of colon observation, imaging occurs while flushing or washing a portion of the colon with an irrigating fluid. Irrigating fluid, fecal matter and/or other colon contents are drawn out of the colon by suction and/or other methods for transporting matter out of the body. The following patent applications relate to the field of endeavor of the current application: U.S. Patent Application 2010/0185056 by Tal Gordon et al.; U.S. Patent Application 2011/0105845 by Tal Gordon et al.; and U.S. Patent Application 2012/0101336 by Yoav Hirsch et al.